Looking Ahead to 2019: Take Saquon Barkley with the First Overall Pick

Saquon Barkley has done incredible things in his rookie year. Eyebrows were raised when the New York Giants opted to take the Penn State running back with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft but Barkley has lived up to the hype. And next year, fantasy players should seriously consider taking the Giants star with the first overall pick.

Arguably the most complete running back in the NFL, Barkley has done it on the ground AND through the air this year. He ranks third in rushing yards and fourth in receiving yards amongst running backs whilst only three players at the position have scored more touchdowns. Barkley has well and truly confirmed his place in the RB1 bracket.

Entering Week 10, the Giants were 1-7 and most fans had written the four-time Super Bowl champions off. That was the wrong move. Since then, the Giants have won four of their last five games with Barkley amassing an incredible 737 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in that period. Fantasy owners can have no complaints whatsoever about his production…

Now in with a chance of the playoffs, punters may fancy the Giants at a generous 250/1 for a shock Super Bowl success according to various bookmakers available via Oddschecker. If Barkley and co can run the table, New York will reach the postseason. Given their history in the playoffs, anything is possible and it would be foolish to look past the Giants just yet.

At the time of writing, 11 of the top 13 scoring players in standard fantasy football leagues this year are quarterbacks. Todd Gurley and Barkley are the exceptions. To put his efforts into perspective, Barkley is yet to score less than 10.00 fantasy points in a game this year – a statistic that shows his impact and consistency on a weekly basis. Most fans tipped Barkley to be a success but it is very rare for a rookie to be THIS good.

If your league is PPR, Barkley is even more important to your chances of victory. With 78 receptions in 2018, only Christian McCaffrey has made a greater impact through the air out of the backfield. If star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr does indeed move on from MetLife Stadium ahead of 2019, this will only help Barkley in terms of his fantasy production.

If you drafted Saquon Barkley this year, congratulations – good luck for the rest of the 2018 fantasy campaign. If not, don’t make the same mistake next year. Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott will be right up there for the top overall pick but Barkley is the one to target. Owners could be celebrating a fantasy championship ring in 2019 with a bit of luck…